


Young Gods

by bugzwithaz



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Finnick Odair Lives, Hunger Games, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25144261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugzwithaz/pseuds/bugzwithaz
Summary: Once you've lost just about everything, risking what little you've got left doesn't seem all that difficult, and Cordelia has lost it all. Just days before the reaping she loses her father— her last living family member— in a tragic accident at the docks and it pushes her over the edge into a series of choices that will change her whole world. A career at heart, Cordelia will fight tooth and nail just for a chance to find some peace.
Relationships: Finnick Odair/Original Female Character(s)





	Young Gods

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear readers, I'm happy you're here and I do hope you stick around. This is my first time writing any sort of fiction, so do be kind. This is probably going to be a slow burn, so if that isn't your thing then this probably isn't for you. Also, I've taken a few liberties with the cannon, especially when it comes to Annie, but I am going to try to stay true to form on most things, and I will be updating the tags as I go. This story is just something I thought of on a whim and I'm putting pen to paper to pass the time during this whole quarantine thing. Leave any and all thoughts in the comments and I hope you enjoy.

There has been a constant ringing in her ears ever since Rusher, her father’s boss, broke the news. How long exactly it’s been, she isn’t sure. The words just keep repeating in her head “Sit down— I’m so sorry — it just came out of nowhere — it was too late — there was just nothing we could do.” All these sounds bouncing around in her head, screaming at her to find some relief and yet the world around her was so still, so silent. She had barely moved in days, only getting up to use the bathroom and poke at the various loaves of bread and plates of food that her neighbors would leave on the porch. Cordelia Salt was fed up with losing, at just seventeen years old she has experienced more pain and loss than most people in district four would know in their entire lifetime.  
First, her mother once named Doria. Her heart gave out while in labor with her younger brother, Drake when Cordelia was just 11 years old. Drake— who was plagued with health issues since birth— only lived for a few years himself until he went to bed one night and never woke up again. This cast a dark and heavy cloud over the remaining members of the Salt family, and for Cordelia the constant pity and sorry looks instilled a need to be the best within her. She needed to be sure that nothing she got was out of pity, and so she worked, and she worked hard to become unbeatable in everything she did. At the academy there was no one better at hand to hand combat than Cordelia, her fellow students would eventually give up volunteering to spar against her, and the poor souls that did have to face off against her would move a little slower than the rest for the next few days. The patriarch of her family, Cliff, was not so determined. Unlike his daughter, his will to keep moving forward had been slowly draining for years which led to the moment when one early morning at work a small trip on a loose plank turned into falling off the dock. Despite being a strong swimmer like every other member of four, Cliff never pushed his way back up to the surface. His death was ruled an accident with no one at fault, but Cordelia knew. He could not bear to go on for any longer and that fall was his ticket out. At first, she resented him for leaving her behind, he abandoned her to carry on with no one else to lean on. She was still just a kid who would occasionally work with him at the docks, and what she made there was not nearly enough to sustain her all on her own. Then the anguish settled in, after the first few days she began to understand why he did it— and briefly considered following his lead and taking her own life, it would be so easy to hang a rope and end all her pain.  
Then, a moment of clarity, the answer to her problems. The reaping for the sixty-eighth games was nearing in just a few days and by volunteering and becoming a tribute there would be two possible outcomes for her. Either she dies, which she was considering anyway, or she finally proves once and for all that she is more than the girl with the dead family. She would no longer be tied to sadness and grief, the heavy clouds of pity would break and she could be free. Just this idea alone was enough to get her up and out of bed and into a bath for the first time in days. The cool water ran down her back in rivulets, washing away her grief that had sat upon her skin like thick paint, seeping into her pores and slowly suffocating her. With water and soap she freed herself, taking a deep shuddering breath that ignited her determination twice over. She found herself rubbing her skin raw, trying to peel away the hurt that had built up over the years, only stopping when the pale, toned planes of her body turned red and angry— nearly hot to the touch. Cordelia lifted herself out of the tub of now frigid water, toweled off, and got to work on her plan. The calendar on the wall let her know that the reaping was only three days out, not ideal but still enough time to fine-tune some of her skills ahead of time. As it was every year, the academy had lots of leeway in the schedule leading up to the reaping, especially for older students. It wasn’t uncommon for some of the particularly dedicated to sleep there overnight to try to simulate what it would be like in the arena. It was as if she was already in survival mode, she ate as much as she needed and no more. The only thing she could focus on was creating a schedule for herself to follow for the next three days to cover as much as she can to be as ready as she possibly could be. With her plan squared away, all there was left for her to do was sleep— and so she did.  
After a night of fitful sleep and a makeshift breakfast from what she could cobble together from the cabinets, she made her way through the streets of four. She darted between the passersby, avoiding any uncomfortable conversations by simply ignoring anyone who tried to speak to her, it was as if she didn’t even register the sound of their voices. She just did not have the bandwidth for anyone else’s thoughts, she was on a mission and there was zero room for interference.  
Slowly she made her way up the steps to the academy where several of her peers were heading to do the same things she was. 

“Delia! Hey! You doin’ alright?” Someone calls from behind her, she turns to see Sidon and Kelp— the two of them were as close to friends as she would get. In reality it was Kelp and Sidon that were inseparable and Cordelia was also there on occasion, but most people assume the three of them were as thick as thieves. But even the two people her age that she liked the most were occasionally left on the other side of her manicured facade. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sidon flinging an arm around her shoulders and bringing her in close, “How are you holding up, we stopped by but you didn’t answer when we knocked, and boy did we knock for a while. Do you need anything? My parents said you’re welcome over for dinner any time, no questions asked. Seriously anyth--” he was cut off by Kelp jabbing her elbow into his side.

“Shut up Sidon, give her a minute to breathe before you smother her, jeez.”

“You know I only want to make sure she’s doing alright, you do know that, right Cordelia?”

Cordelia knew that she had to break the two of them up before their playful argument devolved into hurt feelings and eventually even bruises.

“I’m fine you guys, really. It was rough for the first couple days but you know me, I always come through in the end.” She smiled at them, quelling the tension between them for now.

They both gave her a long look, as if they were trying to read her mind to make sure she was telling them the truth. After a moment and brief embraces, they made their way inside. The three made their way down the hall and walked towards the training gyms. Cordelia took a hard right and headed not for the sparring ring or weapons stations but for the less populated survival training stations. She knew she could fight and had no qualms with killing her fellow tributes if it meant she got to survive another day, but she wasn’t stupid. Just like every other student at the academy she has been taught about the importance of survival skills, but unlike many of her peers— Cordelia actually internalized the message. Being a child of four she knew how to swim and the basics of fishing, and she was taught other simple tasks like first aid and trapping in school, but she was rusty. Rather than spend the next two days doing things she was already good at, she was going to gather as much information as could from what was available to her. 

“Uhh Delia? Where are you going, the sparring ring is this way.” Kelp said as she grabbed Cordelia's elbow to steer her towards the ring.

“I’m actually gonna brush up on my survival skills. I think it could be useful, you never know.” She responded, gently shaking Kelp off. 

Both Kelp and Sidon looked at her strangely. “You’re not thinking of volunteering, are you?” Sidon asked.

The thing about them was that they came from some of the wealthier families in four and although they fully bought into the idea of the games, they never considered that they would ever find themselves in the arena. 

“I’m just thinking about it, it could be my chance to actually make something of myself, all on my own. Without help.” She responded shortly.

“Yeah, or you could also die. You know that’s how the games work, right? You do understand that twenty-four go in and only one comes out because right now I'm looking at you and it doesn’t seem like you get what that means.” Kelp snapped at her, but Sidon put a hand on Kelp’s shoulder before she could say anymore.

Cordelia sighed and looked into her eyes. She didn’t need to say it out loud, Kelp and Sidon both knew what she was thinking ‘Would that be so bad? To die in there?’ Both of their faces melted into those pitied frowns that people would always throw her way. Cordelia opened her mouth to argue with them but Sidon beat her to it.

Sidon shook his head, “Well clearly you’ve convinced yourself, so nothing we say will stop you. But we can keep everyone else who wants that spot from noticing you’re here. Kelp— you’re coming with me to spar and give everyone a great show so you can go practice setting fires or whatever it is you want to do. I doubt anyone else will be in the survival stations anyway. Run along now Delia, we’ve got your back.”

“Thank you, both of you. I’m lucky to consider you both frien—” But before she could finish her sentence the two had run off to go ‘put on a show’ as they said. Cordelia chuckled to herself and turned to spend some time at the camouflage station. 

The rest of the day passed quickly, Marina finally decided to leave the academy for the day after exhausting most of the stations she wanted to hit. Most of her time was spent working on the things she wasn’t as proficient with— setting snares, touching up on her camouflage skills, and identifying plants that were either safe or poisonous. Sidon and Kelp showed up to say goodbye in the early afternoon, and she waved them off before they could try to get her to leave with them. For the past hour or so though she’s been turning lengths of rope into nets and baskets. Both of her parents were sailors and she spent countless hours on the docks while fellow sailors would take turns watching over her. Once she was old enough they taught her how to weave water-tight baskets and nets strong enough to hold anything. She’s been doing it for so long she could weave a basket with her eyes closed, so the last portion of her day was more meditative than anything. It gave her time to make a plan for the coming days. And it was during this time that she became fully convinced that becoming a tribute was her only way out of the mess her life was becoming, any lingering doubts were chased away.  
Back through the streets of four she marched, up the stairs to her childhood home where she spent the rest of the evening alone. Just her, the ghosts of her family, and the fish in the icebox.

She awoke the next morning with her heart and mind feeling lighter than she had in days— years even. Despite there only being a one in twenty-four chance that she’ll still be alive in a month, Cordelia felt sure of herself and her choices. And with that steadfast confidence, she carried herself yet again back to the academy for another day of preparation.  
The hours seemed to fly by, even her own movements melted into a single blur. Once again she dodged difficult questions from Sidon and Kelp, buzzed from station to station trying to retain as much information as she could, and even spent a chunk of time tossing knives at dummies with piercing accuracy.  
She exited the academy as one of the last people there for the day, and it seemed that those who remained were too invested in their own training to notice her. She wove her way through the stone streets once again, she found herself taking any excuse to put off going back home. Back to that place where the silence hung in the air pressing down on her like a weight. So she turned down to the path that led to the seaside. There was someone she needed to talk to.  
Burials were expensive, unaffordable for most— especially for newly orphaned seventeen-year-olds that didn’t have much by way of savings to begin with. So instead her father’s body was collected from the floor of the bay and cremated, and his ashes were delivered to her a few days later in a tall metal cylinder. She tried keeping them in the house but it’s presence was just too much for her to handle. She set his spirit free and scattered his ashes in his favorite place— a small stretch of coastline untouched by the docks. On their little beach, the stresses of everyday life didn’t exist, and this is where her feet carried her to after training.  
She settled down in the sand and pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them close.  
“Hi dad.” Was all she could get out before hot, salty tears began to blend with the stinging sea breeze. For all her sharp edges and hardness, Cordelia was soft at heart. Her father was the only one who got to see that part of her, the part of her that hated seeing anybody hurt or struggling or in pain, but it was definitely there.  
She sat for a while, drawing shapes in the sand and trying to think of what she was supposed to say— how she was supposed to explain this to him. Minutes ticked by and the sun sank lower and lower in the sky.  
“I think you should know that I’m going into the games, and if they don’t call my name I’m going to volunteer. I know you never wanted me anywhere near the arena— hell you hated it when I would stay late at school to practice in the gyms. You thought that you could protect me from all that, and you did for as long as you could, but you’re gone now. And honestly what choice do I have now, really? Without you here, I’ve got nobody left. I’m sure I could make a way for myself at the docks, Rusher even said I could come to him if I needed anything but you know me, I could never do that. I’d spend the rest of my life feeling like a burden, and I don’t think I could handle that.” She trailed off for a moment.  
“It’s just… Either I die in that arena and we all finally get to be a family again or I win and I get to prove to everyone— not just to four but all of Panem— that I’m not weak, that I’m stronger than they could ever know. I don’t know, maybe I would finally feel accomplished. And victor’s village seems like a pretty nice place to live, don’t you think?”  
The ocean responded with only gentle waves splashing against the sand. She tried to contain herself, but a few more stray tears slipped down her scrunched up face.  
“The reaping is tomorrow, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to get back here before then. If I don’t then, well you should know that I love you, and I miss you so much. Maybe I’ll see you again soon, maybe I’ll be right back here I don’t know. But I just love you so, so much.”  
More waves. More tears.

“Goodbye dad.”

She pushed herself up and off of the sand, and started on the walk back to her home.  
When she arrived back at the house her movements became robotic, doing only what she absolutely needed to. As if she was on autopilot she made herself a dinner of grilled cod and steamed vegetables and headed upstairs to bathe. In the tub, she scrubbed away the dirt and mud that remained from camouflage practice. As she laid there, soaking in the tepid water her throat began to constrict and her chin began to quake— she had lingered on past memories for a moment too long. But she couldn’t do this, not now, she had to be strong— she had to be the very best she could be. She can cry when she wins or when she’s dead, but not now. With a great stretch, she swallowed her feelings and gathered herself. The moment her head hit her pillow she was dead to the world around her and remained that way until the first rays of sun crept into the sky.


End file.
